


Daydream Melody

by tsukithewolf



Series: The Star [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: A Happy Birthday story for the twins, Alternate Universe - Magic, Found Family, Gen, I love this AU too much to stop, Magic, POV Second Person, Witch AU, witch!MC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-21 15:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14917848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukithewolf/pseuds/tsukithewolf
Summary: Saeyoung and Saeran have just become adults, and so you decide to teach them some new things as well as learn their new names.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The summary sounds so suspicious...
> 
> Anyway I love this AU and I still have plans to write for it. I don't know about any kind of plot, but I wanted to write a birthday story for my boys. And what better than in the universe where they have such a loving family and a magical life?
> 
> Originally this was going to be a oneshot (lmao aren't they always) but I wanted to put it into two chapters because it was taking me so long and I wanted something posted for my belated boys' birthday. So here is the first part!
> 
> Enjoy!

It wasn’t unusual for you to wake up early in the day anymore. In your new home in the city, the sunrise would cause the rays of the sun to beam right through your window, illuminating your room in fiery orange through your lace curtains. The change in the lighting was enough to cause you to stir and to frown at your pillows when you realize that once again you had forgotten to close the proper curtains. Nevertheless, you never fully disliked being woken so early. The night was your haven, but the day brought radiant energy and potential for all that you could do with the daylight hours.

 

Today you were especially happy that you had forgotten to close the curtains because you had hoped to get the boys moving early. A small smile found its way onto your face as your mouth cracked open in a wide yawn and you stretched until your limbs and back started to ache. Your energy began to flow a bit faster as you popped out some of your kinks and heat danced across your fingertips. The light of the sun bent and wrapped around your arms, zipping cheerfully through your hair and shocking your senses delightfully. It was better than a hit of caffeine as your body instinctively woke up to the sensations and you sat up. You banished the light from your skin, gaining control over your own magic once again, and brought yourself out of your bed to begin your day. You had much that you wanted to do.

 

You made your way around the mess on your floor, padding silently as Midhir hissed away from the light and slunk into the shadows to disappear. You would’ve thought by now that he would’ve long since stopped sleeping in your room during the summer days like this. It made you laugh even as you reached your small closet and pulled out your outfit for the day. You considered wearing your hat but figured it would garner too many strange looks once you were in the city. You were still hesitant and wary about attracting too much attention although it had been a couple of years since you had been bothered by Saejoong. Nevertheless, it didn’t hurt to be careful. Especially so since last you heard he was trying to run for candidacy.

 

You shook your head to clear yourself of those thoughts. You wouldn’t bother with them now. For the time being you left your room and headed down the small hallway on the second floor of your quaint house. Most of it was still bare of decorations mostly because you couldn’t afford to buy everything that you could want. Your house didn’t yet feel like your house, but you doubted this one would for a long time. You didn’t have enough money to support the lifestyle you were used to, and your garden wasn’t nearly grown enough to provide food. You closed your eyes against the thought and pushed them aside as well before coming to a stop in front of the first of the other two bedrooms in the house.

 

You knocked on it and leaned in close to press your ear to the door. “Good morning~” You sang. “Time to get up!”

 

You heard a shuffling behind the door and a low groan. The scent of dew-covered grass seeped out from beneath the door as you heard bare feet pad across the floor to open the door. A sleepy-eyed Saeran blinked at you as he leaned against the doorframe. He had grown so much taller than you, enough so that he was half a head above you. Morning glories peeked out between his wild curls as he yawned and scratched at his stomach beneath his night shirt.

 

“It’s early…” He mumbled in protest, squinting at the clock on the wall.

 

“It is!” You agreed cheerfully, reaching up to pluck one of the flowers from him. They were not real flowers, of course, but the energy that had made them contained their forms long enough for you to hold it in your fingers for a couple of seconds before they faded away. Saeran ran a hand into his hair and pulled back on his energy, dispersing the flowers in a small shower of petals before they too disappeared. “I need you and your brother to get up. We have places to go.”

 

“Go?” Saeran asked, curiosity in his voice as you moved past him and over to Saeyoung’s door to knock loudly. “What do we have to do today?”

 

“Different things.” You answered vaguely. You couldn’t hear Saeyoung waking. You glanced at Saeran over your shoulder. “Do you want to prepare breakfast or wake your brother? I’ll do whatever you don’t.”

 

“Um…I’ll make breakfast. I think it would be better for all of those involved.”

 

“Ugh.” You sighed. “I’ve gotten better…As long as its not cooking…There’s some fruit salad in the fridge from last night.”

 

Saeran perked up a bit at that. “Oh. I’ll include that then.” He left to go down the stairs. You were relieved that he hadn’t caused you any problems waking up early. Most of the time that boy was pleasant, but he could be just as lazy as Saeyoung sometimes. You figured he had grown used to waking up in the mornings as well because that was the prime time to care for the growing garden.

 

Speaking of difficult, you turned back to Saeyoung’s door and knocked louder. “Saeyoung!” You called. “Come on and get up!” You watched the doorknob wiggle as if a cat was playing with it and raised an eyebrow. The doorknob attempted to turn and failed a couple of times. Inside you heard a soft grumble and the sound of something soft thumping against the door. If you had to guess it would be a pillow. You couldn’t help the small smile dancing across your lips as you knocked again.

 

The doorknob struggled a bit before finally turning all of the way and the door popping open. It slowly pulled backwards, and you spotted a mass of red hair tucked amongst the covers on the bed and a single arm stretched out and moving with the door. Kinetic energy filled the room with the taste of ozone before abruptly dying away as the arm dropped lifelessly to hang over the side of the bed. You took this as an invitation to come in.

 

“You could have just said to come in.” You told Saeyoung with amusement as you properly entered the room and moved over to the window to pull the curtains away. He buried his face further into his pillows and covered his head.

 

“There’s no light.” He grumbled. “We shouldn’t be up this early.” You glanced around his room and noticed that his desk was covered with all kinds of books and bits and pieces. He must have stayed up late again last night studying. You moved over to the book and took note of the money spells he had marked on the page that was open as well as the notes he was making in his grimoire. You smiled at the sight. His book wasn’t clean and there were sticky notes and miscellaneous items sticking out of it everywhere, but you could feel the intent and passion that interlaced its pages.

 

“You just can’t see the sun because it’s on the other side of the house.” You returned to his side and sat yourself on the edge of his bed, pulling back his covers. You allowed yourself to begin to glow with starlight just enough to brighten the room to see but not enough to hurt any eyes. Saeyoung turned his head to glare at you with some darkness under his eyes. In your light you could spy some of the pale scars that are on his skin from the past. “You should wear a shirt to bed.” You admonished. “You could catch a cold.”

 

“Be careful, Emshii, or you might come in to find me sleeping naked~” He teased, grinning cheekily all the while before he pulled the covers up around his shoulders again. “And it’s the middle of summer…I won’t get a cold. My skin runs too hot.”

 

You decided to ignore the comment about him sleeping naked. You had seen both boys naked before and you didn’t doubt it would happen again at some point. “You don’t know if your energy keeps you that warm at night. Remember that you’re not exactly like me. You’re not just a star, Saeyoung.” You brushed his hair back from his face. He sighed at your touch, tilting his face a little into the heat of your palm. As if to prove your point, you felt the cold touch of space seeping into your skin and chilling you a bit. Darkness tenderly seeped between your fingers and suffocated the glow from your arm. You retaliated by shoving a quick spike of solar energy into him, causing Saeyoung to gasp and jolt, eyes shooting open. The darkness rapidly dissipated and you pulled away as Saeyoung sat up completely.

 

“Ohhhhhh God!” He whistled and shook his head. “God, Emshii, what a wake up call!” Meteors shot off his skin and bounced across the bed before disappearing. His eyes were sparkling now, alive with the fiery energy you had put into him.

 

“You looked like you were falling asleep again.” You responded smugly, patting his face before standing. “Go on and get dressed. Saeran is already making breakfast.”

 

“Now I can’t possibly fall asleep again unless I get my quartz.” He complained, but complied and threw back his covers to stand up.

 

“Come on then, Saeyoung. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.” You turned to go back to the door.

 

“What are we doing?” He called to you as you reached the door and grabbed the handle.

 

“Lots of things. Hurry now.” You shot him a smile before closing the door.

 

* * *

* * *

You decided to wait until both boys had a decent amount of food in them before you spoke, “Happy birthday, boys.”

 

They both paused and glanced at each other before back at you. “Is it…really our birthday again?” Saeran asked, sounding lost and baffled. You could understand the feeling very well. You may not be living in the same house anymore, but the sensation of being out of step with the rest of the world still seemed to filter over all of you. It was very easy to get caught up in the day-to-night activities that all of you took part in. After all, when practicing there are only so many things you can do at certain times of the day and others had to wait until evening or even night time. The boys had come to learn this very quickly once they had sat down to officially start taking up the Craft.

 

“Yes, it is. I double-checked and everything.” You pulled out your cell phone and passed it to them. Both brothers went through the effort to look and confirm for themselves the date.

 

Saeyoung sat back in his chair with a whoosh of air. “I can’t believe it’s already been a year.” Saeran passed back your cell phone.

 

“Yes, I know. You two are growing fast. You’re adults now. Legally, anyway.”

 

“Are we really?” He asked, surprised.

 

“Yes.”

 

Neither of them responded to your statement. You gave them time to process this as you ate a couple more pieces of your fruit salad. Saeran ate his own food in silence while Saeyoung frowned while looking out the window. You wished that you were still able to read the boys better. Their magic no longer gave them away nearly as often as it used to because of the amount of control they had gained over it. Sometimes, like now, it was very difficult to understand their thoughts.

 

“I suppose this means V and Rika will stop mentioning adoption now, right?” Saeran finally asked, sending you a small smile. You laughed.

 

“Yes, I guess at this point it’s moot. Do you feel like adults?”

 

“Not really.” Saeran shrugged and looked to his brother. There was a darkness that was creeping from Saeyoung’s eyes. Dark matter dotted his skin and a chill had entered the room where it sucked everything in and a black hole threatened to form. Saeyoung hadn’t seemed to have noticed. Saeran touched his brother to grab his attention, shocking Saeyoung back from wherever he had gone. His magic continued to manifest.

 

“Hyung?” Saeran murmured, willfully ignoring the heavy thoughts on his twin’s mind. “What do you think? Do you feel like an adult?”

 

Saeyoung lowered his gaze and the angry spiral that had been forming on his skin melted and dripped like plasma off of his face and onto the table. You watched him silently. He took a moment longer with his thoughts before shaking his head quickly, dispersing the magic. “No, I don’t feel like an adult.” He rested his hand on his chin and looked to you. “I still feel like that same kid in the garden…”

 

Your heart throbbed painfully. Three years wasn’t long enough for any of you to forget or forgive the loss of your garden. In a few more days it would be the anniversary again. None of you liked the summer solstice nearly as much as you used to because of it.

 

You tried to force yourself to move on even as the image of the scared and crying boys reappeared in your head much like it did occasionally in your nightmares. “Well then, let’s do something to maybe make you feel more like adults.” You pushed away from the table and took your dishes to rinse off before wiping your wet hands on your pants. “When you two are finished and ready, come join me in the shade of the backyard.”

 

You left them no time to respond as you departed back to your bedroom to grab a couple of items, your mind swirling with ideas and possibilities. You grabbed a few stones and some anointed water before returning downstairs an out the back door. Both boys were already waiting for you under the biggest tree in the yard, legs folded under them as they waited. Their eyes were bright with interest and you could feel their curiosity and excitement radiating off of them much like it always did when they expected to learn or see something new.

 

You smiled. You could still recall your hesitancy to take these boys as apprentices, but now you couldn’t have asked for better ones. They could be mischievous, and they have ruined one thing or another before, but moments like these made it worth it. You only felt a little bad that you had not brought up this topic before.

 

You took your place across from them and set your stuff down. Saeran was the first to gather what the items were for. “Are we doing a meditation?” He asked.

 

You shrugged. “We can. Let me explain my intention first and we can decide together what to do from here.”

 

“That’s not foreboding.” Saeyoung muttered. Saeran gave him a small shove in reprimand which only made Saeyoung giggle to himself.

 

“It’s nothing bad, I promise. In fact, it’s something that’s been a long time coming. I should’ve done this with you both a lot earlier but…well, it just never ended up happening.” You scratched your head sheepishly. “But I suppose it did teach you both some good things.”

 

“What are you trying to get at?” Saeyoung asked, getting impatient. You would’ve thought his attention span would be much better considering all of the patience he needed for most of his studying.

 

“I’m _saying_ ,” you shot him a look, “that I believe it’s time for you two to pick your other names.”

 

“What, really?” Saeyoung asked, sitting forward as Saeran said at the same time, “I had wondered when we would do that.”

 

“I thought we might do a group meditation this time.” You pulled the anointed water towards yourself and placed it between the three of you before standing. “Both of you go ahead and begin grounding and centering yourself while I set up a circle for protection.”

 

Preparing for the mediation was like second nature as you contemplated what kind of names the boys would pick. You already knew that they knew plenty about the choice they had. Their new name could be anything. They could even have more than one name if they wished it so. You were excited for both of them and wondered if they had already been thinking on this in the years past.

 

When you were finished, you also sat back down to begin to ground and center yourself. Saeyoung and Saeran were sitting calmly and waiting as you had finished. You could feel the thickness of the roots in the earth as your own energy tangled with theirs. Their energy flowed as effortlessly as water through them even as their eyes glowed while waiting. You smiled at them.

 

“Do either of you need the water, do you think? Or will you be able to find and follow me without it?” You asked.

 

Saeyoung only laughed at you, face soft as he said, “Emshii, you’re our star. How could we possibly lose you?”

 

“We’ll be fine.” Saeran assured you as you flushed with pleasure. Well. That was certainly unexpected but not unwanted.

 

“Well then.” You said and closed your eyes to breathe deeply. Within seconds you had already found your energy reaching upwards greedily towards the sky. Up there was where you belonged naturally, and so entering that space was as simple as falling down and letting gravity handle everything for you. But you continued past the stars and your vision changed from dark to daylight. Your feet touched grass in the middle of four crossroads leading to each of the cardinal directions. But the direction is not what mattered to you; it was where the directions led that caught your attention.

 

 _Ah_. You thought as understanding bloomed upon you. It would not be so simple as a name day for your boys. You were surprised that you were here for this, but perhaps it would be for guidance only. You were even more excited for them. This had also been coming for a long time.

 

You waited patiently, allowing yourself to become immersed in the sun and the feeling of cool wind on your face. You were only vaguely aware of your actual body back where you had left it, but you did not focus on it too much or you would lose concentration. Meditation like this always had a dream-like quality to them where nothing was sharp like real life, but you were aware of so much more. At times you felt that you could predict what would happen to you next. Here your five senses did not function the same way as they did in your body. You could see, but it was with a haziness that made you feel as if you were looking through a thin mist. You could hear, but it was only what you were focusing on. You could not smell or taste, but you could feel everything just as well as you did on your plane. To make up for all of your weakened senses, your third eye took in so much more. That was how you noticed Saeyoung before he had noticed you.

 

He was laying on the ground trying to get his bearings. He had been much faster than Saeran this time around, but that didn’t surprise you. This kind of meditation had always been a bit more difficult to the earth-based Saeran. Saeyoung’s energy was much more similar to yours, after all. Saeyoung was dressed differently than he was back on the other plane. His outfit was a simple two-piece made from white fabric. You couldn’t help but smile at that. He hadn’t figured out how to adjust his clothes automatically, so his mind would default to what he believed he should be wearing.

 

“That was fast.” You told him, reaching down to assist him in standing up. A smile stretched across his face as he took your hand and you pulled him to his feet. He was barefoot just like you were. He looked around, spinning in place as he marveled.

 

“You were easy to find. Where are we?”

 

“I don’t know if this place has a name. Crossroads, I guess?” You shrugged. “How do you feel?”

 

“I’ve never been here before. But you’ve been here enough that you recognize it?” Saeyoung questioned. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to the same place twice.”

 

“That’s because you’re usually not in this plane.” You said, although it was just a guess based on what Saeyoung had told you in the past about his experiences. “You tend to do more astral travelling than meditations like this.” You shot him a smirk. “You only got here because you followed me, right?”

 

Saeyoung pouted. “So?”

 

You only laughed and didn’t respond as Saeran appeared as well sitting on the ground. You watched as he struggled for a bit to maintain himself before Saeyoung approached to help him to his feet. Saeran swayed a bit, shaking his head and squeezing his eyes shut tightly as he focused. You both waited for him. Saeyoung grabbed his brother’s hands to hold and center him in this place. After a few moments, Saeran sighed and opened his eyes. He seemed much more aware now.

 

“This…feels strange.” He confessed as he looked around. He squinted as he frowned, spinning in a slow circle and releasing his brother’s hands. “I’m not sure I like it.”

 

“You’re used to being much more grounded.” You sympathized, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It must feel strange to be so light, right?”

 

“Yes. It’s hard to focus.”

 

“Focus on me, then.” The brothers turned their attention to you at your command. You spread your arms wide to motion around you all. “So. Where shall we go, then?”

 

“Is it up to us?” Saeyoung asked. “Wouldn’t this be your decision?”

 

“No. I’m here for guidance only. The decisions are yours.”

 

Saeran and Saeyoung looked to each other before together their gaze drifted to a single path. You watched the grassy path turn to dirt and lead down into a shadowy forest. You huffed a laugh at that, unsurprised. Saeyoung moved first with some hesitancy before courage overtook him and he continued forward. Saeran hurried after him and you followed behind. Behind your steps, the crossroads disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

None of you talked for a long while. Both brothers walked without any sort of caution into the deep forest, looking about them curiously. You watched their feet and their actions but found you couldn’t tell who was leading and who was following. One moment Saeyoung would be in front, but then Saeran would turn and your group would follow him instead. Sometimes Saeran paused to take in a plant of some sort while Saeyoung continued forward, and then Saeyoung would be the one leading the group. You always stayed behind them.

 

The air was warm but not hot and the dirt path beneath your feet became grass. It was a path that some had taken but not everyone. You all had left the main path at some point. You brushed your fingers along the trunks of familiar trees as you absorbed the calm atmosphere. You were just barely aware of the sweat running down your back of your physical body before you pushed the thought away. You could hear a stream somewhere nearby, but none of you approached it.

 

“Where are all of the animals?” Saeran asked as he broke the spell that had grown between the three of you. He was looking upwards. “I can’t hear any birds.”

 

“There are animals.” Saeyoung denied. “I’ve seen them once in a while. We passed some not too long ago.”

 

“We did?” Saeran asked, still looking upwards. His feet didn’t falter as he moved forward despite not being able to see where he was going.

 

“Well...I did, anyway.” He looked back to you for confirmation. You smiled and said nothing. You could sense more than you could see any creatures.

 

“Where are we going?” You asked instead, causing the brothers to jolt a bit. They both came to a stop but shifted uneasily as if they wanted to keep moving. 

 

“Um…” Saeyoung looked around.

 

“There?” Saeran suggested, pointing forward before moving towards it. You both followed after him and entered a circular clearing. There were no trees to block the bluish-white sky above you all. There were a couple of boulders in the clearing, but other than that it was empty and silent. Saeran approached the middle of the circle and looked around before sitting. Saeyoung hesitated with you at the edge of the circle, not entering.

 

“What’s wrong?” You murmured to him. 

 

Saeyoung only stared at his brother with a frown before shaking his head. “Nothing. I’ve just read a lot about entering circles…”

 

You laughed a bit and stepped through the circle border yourself to show that it was fine. “It’s not a faerie circle. You’ll be safe. Come.” You held your hand out to him. Saeyoung hesitated only a moment longer before taking your hand and stepping forward as well. You led him over to his twin before releasing him and sitting in the grass as well. Despite being in direct sunlight now, you didn’t feel any hotter.

 

You looked around to see if you could spy anything in the underbrush of the forest but didn’t. You supposed, then, that you had time.

 

“So, have you thought about what you would want your magical names to be?” You asked.

 

“Yes, but it’s hard.” Saeran murmured, burying his fingers in the thick grass. “How do you think of a name for yourself…? You’re going to call us these names from now on, right?” He glanced at you with lowered eyes.

 

“Does that bother you?” You asked.

 

Saeyoung watched his brother as Saeran admitted, “...Kind of.” Saeran sat up a little straighter. “It’s...something that connects me and Saeyoung-hyung.”

 

“Your connection won’t be broken just because you will have new names.” You reached out to cup his cheek and soothe him. “You will still be Saeran and Saeyoung, only those names will be your secret names. The names you will only pass to those you are willing to let have power over you.”

 

“But what if we don’t want anyone to have power over us again?” Saeyoung demanded. You realized your words came off wrong no matter how accurate they were. You backtracked a bit.

 

“Then you don’t have to give out your name. But if you ever find people you trust dearly enough with it, it shows great courage and can create a deep bond to willingly give your name and receive one in return.” You smiled and sat back, resting on your palms. “After all, it’s quite a different experience when you learn someone’s true name, right? Like when I told you mine?”

 

“It does, but now it feels wrong not to call you Emshii!” Saeyoung complained. You and Saeran both laughed at that.

 

“He’s right.” Saeran agreed before he sobered up a bit more. The air felt even more pleasant, but you could sense something approaching. You said nothing. “The books say that we can choose whatever name we want. Sometimes we already know what our names should be, but we can get our names in other ways. Emshii...would you be able to give us names?”

 

The pressure of such a question threw you off enough that you almost broke your own meditation. It took you some time to recover and fight the pull of your physical body where it was shaking from the weight of the power that had been thrusted upon you. It left you gaping a bit, mouth open and closing with unspoken words. You shook yourself.

 

“It’s…” You attempted to find the words. The presence in the forest was getting closer. “It’s...not that I  _ can’t _ …It’s that I shouldn’t. Your names should be something you chose. It’s your identities as witches.”

 

“You’re the one who made us witches, though.” Saeran argued.

 

“I shouldn’t.” You shook your head. “Saeran, do you feel you’re not ready for a name?”

 

“I want one.” Saeran denied, ripping some of the grass up from the ground and playing with some of the strands.

 

“I think I get it.” Saeyoung said, speaking up for the first time in a while. His foot stretched out to nudge Saeran a bit. “Emshii, you were the one that gave us new lives. So you should be the one to name our new lives, right Saeran-ah?”

 

Saeran smiled a little. “Something like that.”

 

“Think of them like a birthday present!” Saeyoung continued, grinning as he motioned around himself. “Give us our adult names~”

 

You huffed a laugh. “Are you certain? I do have an idea of what to call you, but you don’t need to keep such names.”

 

“You have names for us?” Saeran asked, surprised.

 

“Well, it’s more of a feeling.” You smiled a little secretively. “You’ll probably come to realize it soon.” Your gaze drifted back through the trees where you saw a presence slinking through the brush silently. You could hear a bird trilling its song somewhere nearby.

 

The boys didn’t seem to notice. “What are they?” Saeyoung asked, scooting a bit closer to you.

 

You touched first Saeyoung’s hand, “‘Kumiho’” and then Saeran’s hand, “and ‘Chamsae’.”

 

They both paused at this. Saeran tilted his head a little in thought while his brother sputtered a bit and began to laugh. “That’s so simple!” He cried. You felt embarrassed. These were names that were never really supposed to be names, after all, but just thoughts that had come to mind once in a while when you touched either of the boys. You had been seeing these animals since long ago, after all.

 

“I like it.” Saeran gave his brother a shove, causing him to fall over, before he smiled at you. “‘Chamsae’. I can get used to that.”

 

“Do you want to?” You asked shyly, still not recovered.

 

“Yes. It’s...sweet. It feels significant to you.” 

 

“Suck up.” Saeyoung muttered as he righted himself. “But yeah, he’s right. It feels like it’s important.”

 

The bushes rustled a bit nearby, causing both boys to startle. You only relaxed with relief that they hadn’t thought the names too silly. You had considered maybe changing up the names a little bit so they weren’t so...straight-forward, but you figured that Saeyoung and Saeran could take care of that if they had wished. Besides, they were too busy focusing now on the creature creeping its way around the border of the clearing you were all sitting in.

 

The fox’s ears were perked with curiosity although it moved with a wariness along the border. It watched the lot of you with intelligent eyes filled with unknowable knowledge. Its tail dragged on the ground but never dirtied. Its fur was a deep rust color unnatural for its kind. 

 

Saeyoung shot you a look. “Did you...summon that?” He asked. His outline wavered a bit before he focused more. His attention was deeply centered on the creature as it moved. You could feel his own energy spiking as the fox’s curiosity was reflected back off of Saeyoung. You could taste berries and dirt and familiar stardust. The sounds of racing heartbeats filled your ears, although you didn’t know whose it was. 

 

You huffed a laugh. “No, I didn’t. You already know what it is, don’t you?”

 

“It’s me.” Saeyoung answered without hesitation, leaning forward eagerly. The fox came to a stop and sat down across the clearing from him, watching him with narrowed eyes. Saeyoung visibly forced himself to relax. “He’s me.”

 

“I had always wondered why the garden would call you that.” Saeran murmured to himself. His eyes were already to the trees waiting. You could feel the gazes of multiple creatures upon you all. Anticipation filled you as you sensed your own self among the trees as well. You sensed the protective urges as it prowled.

 

“The garden called me Kumiho?” Saeyoung asked as he glanced at his brother. To both of your surprises, the man had a sparrow resting on his arm. It had settled there contently and ruffled its feathers only once before beginning to groom itself. Affection swelled in your chest at the wonder in Saeran’s eyes. The boy didn’t show his wonder as often as he used to because he was less surprised by the world around him. You loved seeing it whenever it appeared.

 

“Saeran?” Saeyoung called.

 

“Huh? Oh…” Saeran tore his eyes from the sparrow and to his brother. “Um, yeah. Not really in those words...but it sometimes referred to you as a fox.”

 

“I wonder why we’re so different.” Saeyoung asked. At the edge of the circle the fox drew closer. Saeyoung watched him. “After all, we’re twins.”

 

“Your energies aren’t the same despite being twins.” You pointed out.

 

“It just seems weird to me.” Saeyoung insisted. “Shouldn’t we share the same soul?”

 

Saeran didn’t respond. His sparrow hopped from his arm to the grass in front of him, pecking at the ground curiously.

 

“The animals in front of you aren’t necessarily your souls, though.” You explained gently. The fox came to a stop near Saeyoung but not close enough to pet, as if it could sense that that would be the first thing Saeyoung would do. “They’re symbolic. They could be representative of your souls...but they could also be guides or protectors. Creatures you are to learn lessons from.” You stood up and brushed off your bottom although you knew no grass stuck to it. You could feel your body becoming uncomfortable, but mostly you were no longer needed here. You were being called.

 

“Where are you going?” Saeran asked, already moving to follow you. You motioned him down.

 

“Don’t worry. You two can stay here longer if you want. I have something to do while I’m here. Take your time.”

 

“Where are you going?” Saeyoung repeated but did as he was told and stayed put. You found it funny and endearing that even during such a fascinating time as this - meeting their sparrow and fox and receiving new names - that they were still so focused on you. You wanted to tease them a bit for it but didn’t have the heart to do so. 

 

“I have my own path to follow.” You gave them a little wave and did not say anymore as you padded your way out of the circle and into the forest. You had just breached the cluster of the trees when you turned around to make sure Saeyoung and Saeran had stayed, but the clearing had disappeared. You weren’t concerned. You were sure they would be safe. 

 

Your fingers brushed fur as your wolfdog greeted you before moving ahead of you. You could tell there was something that needed to be shown to you. You wondered what it was. 

 

You followed the beast out of the forest and onto a path that gradually grew from grass to dirt to rock that began to ascend. In front of you a mountain rose up high. You knew that you would be climbing it to its top. In your very being you knew it instinctively even though a part of you wanted to not bother with the climb. But you knew that you must because the calling was too strong. You never had been able to ignore your calling.

 

Together you began up the path with the wolfdog on a path that spiraled around the mountain. The longer you climbed, the steeper the road became. And yet you climbed still because each time you reached a short plateau before the road would steepen further, you were filled with a sense of joy and accomplishment. Behind you there were other presences that joined you and calmed you. Though you could not see them, you felt a fox pressing to your swollen and aching legs while a sparrow’s song trilled encouragement. You wondered what were the other creatures following behind you and your companions.

 

The sky began to darken rapidly. The bright sun overhead began to go unnaturally dark and the shadows grew longer. The heat of the day quickly turned to a chill and then proper cold. Sickness began to fill your stomach and grief was a shroud that weighed down your steps. You looked upwards trying to gauge how much farther you would have to go but you couldn’t see the top. You were so tired. You weren’t sure you could do it. You looked back the way you came and saw just how far you had come. 

 

The wolfdog whined at you and returned to your side. You didn’t need to understand words to know that it was telling you it was okay to give up. The sky was so high up. The mountain top was far. You had already accomplished so much. It was fine to stay where you were. 

 

But you didn’t want to. Your heart ached with longing even as your body wanted to break down. You needed to keep going. It wasn’t much farther, you thought. You could keep going. You weren’t alone.

 

And then the world blurred in front of you. Your surroundings lost shape and form and faded away before you became acutely aware that you were sitting down in grass, sweating in the heat of the day and thirsty for water when you awoke with a deep, sharp breath. You blinked heavy eyes open, calm despite what visions you had seen. Your feet didn’t ache and your body wasn’t breaking down. You were healthy and whole and still pleasantly full from your breakfast. Even though you were used to these kinds of things, it took you some time to reorient yourself.

 

“Are you back with us?” You looked up to see Saeran carrying a tray of tea. He had changed clothes out of his pajamas since you had last seen him. Saeyoung was watering the plants but watching you. How long had you been meditating that they’d had time to be up and moving like that?

 

“Yes...Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.” You took one of the cups of tea offered to you and took a long drink. It was chilled green tea which wasn’t your favorite but did wonders to refresh you and your overheated mind. The shade had pulled back from you while you had been unmoving. Quite some time had passed since dawn, you thought. You smiled at them and climbed to your feet. “So? How was it?”

 

“We were talking about it for a while.” Saeyoung said. “We could understand the animals even though they weren’t actually speaking. It was cool!”

 

“Sae…” Saeran paused, glancing at his brother with a raised eyebrow before starting again, “ _ Kumiho _ ,” he tested the name on his lips. You felt something lock into place at that. Something shifted, like placing a blanket over a light. The light was muted but still there. You felt a bit of pride that the boys had decided to go with the names you had given them, “Kumiho-hyung tried to get them to use actual words. I think he offended the fox.”

 

“Hey! I just wanted to try to actually hear its voice! I wanted to make sure I wasn’t making up words for it!” Saeyoung placed aside the watering can, pouting at his brother as he too took one of the cups of tea and drank it with sharp movements. You huffed a laugh at his antics.

 

“I did the same thing, actually.” You confessed as you moved back towards the house.

 

“What, really?” He asked with excitement. The boys both followed you. “Did they end up doing it?”

 

“Well, mine did. I can’t say all of them ever did.” Your mind was back on that mountain and wondered what exactly that vision had been. Had you been going somewhere? Was it a vision of times to come? A warning? You remembered how exhausted and sick you had been at that time. A sign of your death, maybe? Symbolism of you growing old one day in the future? You didn’t know for sure.

 

“What’s wrong?” Saeran asked, touching your arm gently. You tasted summer grass in your mouth and for a moment you thought that you were back in your garden together with him. You almost teared up at the memory. He always reminded you of the garden the three of you had loved.

 

You shook your head with a smile. “It’s nothing. I was only thinking. So!” You quickly changed the subject. “Tell me, boys: are you ready to head out?”

 

“Where are we going?” Saeyoung asked, gladly placing aside his cup. You did the same and Saeran placed his stuff on the table as well.

 

“What do you mean?” You asked with mock offense. “Obviously we need to go out and get your presents!” You grabbed the bag you left near the door and double-checked to make sure you had your money and keys in it. Saeyoung cheered loudly as he ran to grab some socks to put on his shoes. Saeran only stood by the door and pulled on some sandals. 

 

“I thought our names were presents?” He asked curiously. 

 

“They are, but those were a long time coming. You need some proper presents.” You brushed a leaf from his hair and smiled brighter as he adjusted his hair. You loved getting them presents for their birthday. They had gone too many years without them, after all. You didn’t have much money, but V had provided you with a bit extra and a promise to tell them the gifts were also from him and Rika. You could make that happen.

 

“I think it’s time to finally get Kumiho the computer he’s been dying for.” You confessed to Saeran in a low voice as you both heard Saeyoung coming back. “And I think it’s also time that you both got your own cell phones, don’t you think?”

 

Saeran’s eyes lit up with excitement, flowers blooming sporadically across his chest and arms in delight. You laughed at the sight seeing him explode with color like that. It would be completely worth using up most of your money on them. You would make sure this would be another memorable birthday for them. 


End file.
